Introduction
Starting work on the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” Nekrasov dreamed of creating a large-scale work that would reflect all the knowledge about peasants that he had accumulated throughout his life. WITH early childhood“the spectacle of national disasters” passed before the poet’s eyes, and his first childhood impressions prompted him to further study the way of peasant life. Hard work, human grief, and at the same time the enormous spiritual strength of the people - all this was noticed by Nekrasov’s attentive gaze. And it is precisely because of this that in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” the images of the peasants look so reliable, as if the poet personally knew his heroes. It is logical that the poem, in which the main character is the people, has large number peasant images, but if we take a closer look at them, we will be amazed by the diversity and liveliness of these characters.
The image of the main wanderer characters
The first peasants with whom the reader meets are truth-seeking peasants who argued about who lives well in Rus'. For the poem, they are not so important individual images, as a whole, the idea that they express - without them, the plot of the work would simply fall apart. And, nevertheless, Nekrasov gives each of them a name, a native village (the names of the villages themselves are eloquent: Gorelovo, Zaplatovo...) and certain character traits and appearance: Luka is an inveterate debater, Pakhom is an old man. And the views of the peasants, despite the integrity of their image, are different; each does not deviate from his views even to the point of fighting. In general, the image of these men is a group image, which is why it highlights the most basic features characteristic of almost any peasant. This is extreme poverty, stubbornness and curiosity, the desire to find the truth. Let us note that while describing the peasants dear to his heart, Nekrasov still does not embellish their images. He also shows vices, mainly general drunkenness.
The peasant theme in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is not the only one - during their journey, the men will meet both the landowner and the priest, and will hear about life different classes- merchants, nobles, clergy. But all other images in one way or another serve to more fully reveal the main theme of the poem: the life of peasants in Russia immediately after the reform.
The poem includes several crowd scenes - a fair, a feast, a road along which many people are walking. Here Nekrasov portrays the peasantry as a single whole, which thinks alike, speaks unanimously and even sighs at the same time. But at the same time, the images of peasants depicted in the work can be divided into two large groups: honest working people who value their freedom and serf peasants. In the first group, Yakim Nagoy, Ermil Girin, Trofim and Agap stand out.
Positive images of peasants
Yakim Nagoy is a typical representative of the poor peasantry, and he himself resembles “Mother Earth”, like “a layer cut off by a plow”.
All his life he works “to death”, but at the same time remains a beggar. His sad story: he once lived in St. Petersburg, but started a lawsuit with a merchant, ended up in prison because of it, and returned from there “torn like a sticker” - nothing surprises listeners. There were many such destinies in Rus' at that time... Despite the hard work, Yakim has enough strength to stand up for his compatriots: yes, there are many drunk men, but there are more sober ones, they are all great people “in work and in revelry.” Love for truth, for honest work, a dream of transforming life (“thunder should thunder”) – these are the main components of the image of Yakima.
Trofim and Agap complement Yakima in some ways; each of them has one main character trait. In the image of Trofim, Nekrasov shows the endless strength and patience of the Russian people - Trofim once carried away fourteen pounds, and then returned home barely alive. Agap is a lover of truth. He is the only one who refuses to participate in the performance for Prince Utyatin: “The possession of peasant souls is over!” When they force him, he dies in the morning: it is easier for a peasant to die than to bend back under the yoke of serfdom.
Yermil Girin is endowed by the author with intelligence and incorruptible honesty, and for this he was chosen as burgomaster. He “didn’t bend his soul,” but once he lost his way the right path, could not live not according to the truth, and brought repentance before the whole world. But honesty and love for their compatriots do not bring happiness to the peasants: the image of Yermil is tragic. At the time of the story, he is sitting in prison: this is how his help to the rebellious village turned out.
Images of Matryona and Savely
The life of peasants in Nekrasov's poem would not be completely depicted without the image of a Russian woman. To expand " female share”, which “grief is not life!” the author chose the image of Matryona Timofeevna. “Beautiful, strict and dark,” she tells in detail the story of her life, in which only then was she happy, as she lived with her parents in the “girls’ lounge.” Afterwards, hard work began, equal to men, the nagging of relatives, and the death of the first-born distorted the fate. For this story, Nekrasov allocated an entire part of the poem, nine chapters - much more than the stories of the other peasants occupy. This well conveys his special attitude, his love for a Russian woman. Matryona amazes with her strength and resilience. She endures all the blows of fate without complaint, but at the same time she knows how to stand up for her loved ones: she lies down under the rod in place of her son and saves her husband from the soldiers. The image of Matryona in the poem merges with the image people's soul– long-suffering and long-suffering, which is why the woman’s speech is so rich in songs. These songs are often the only possibility pour out your sadness...
The image of Matryona Timofeevna is accompanied by another curious image - the image of the Russian hero, Savely. Living out his life in Matryona’s family (“he lived for one hundred and seven years”), Savely thinks more than once: “Where have you gone, strength? What were you useful for? All the strength was lost under rods and sticks, wasted during back-breaking labor on the Germans and wasted away in hard labor. In the image of Savely it is shown tragic fate the Russian peasantry, heroes by nature, leading a life completely unsuitable for them. Despite all the hardships of life, Savely did not become embittered, he is wise and affectionate with those without rights (he is the only one in the family who protects Matryona). His image also shows the deep religiosity of the Russian people, who sought help in faith.
The image of peasant serfs
Another type of peasant depicted in the poem are serfs. Years of serfdom have crippled the souls of some people who are accustomed to groveling and can no longer imagine their lives without the power of the landowner over them. Nekrasov shows this using examples of the images of the slaves Ipat and Yakov, as well as the elder Klim. Jacob is the image of a faithful slave. He spent his whole life fulfilling the whims of his master: “Yakov had only joy: / To groom, protect, please the master.” However, you cannot live with the master “ladkom” - as a reward for Yakov’s exemplary service, the master gives his nephew as a recruit. It was then that Yakov’s eyes were opened, and he decided to take revenge on his offender. Klim becomes the boss thanks to the grace of Prince Utyatin. A bad owner and a lazy worker, he, singled out by the master, blossoms from a sense of self-importance: “The proud pig: itched / About the master’s porch!” Using the example of the headman Klim, Nekrasov shows how terrible yesterday's serf is when he becomes a boss - this is one of the most disgusting human types. But it is difficult to fool an honest peasant’s heart - and in the village Klim is sincerely despised, not afraid.
So, from the various images of the peasants “Who Lives Well in Rus'” a complete picture of the people is formed as enormous power, already beginning to gradually rebel and realize its power.
Work test
Essays on literature: Images of peasants in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”
In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” N.A. shows the life of the Russian peasantry in post-reform Russia, their difficult situation. The main problem This work is a search for an answer to the question, “who lives happily and freely in Rus'”, who is worthy and not worthy of happiness? The author introduces into the poem the image of seven wandering peasants traveling around the country in search of the lucky ones. This is a group portrait, so in the image of the seven “temporarily obliged” only common features, characteristic of the Russian peasant: poverty, curiosity, unpretentiousness. Men do not seek happiness among the working people: peasants, soldiers. Their idea of happiness is associated with images of the clergy, merchants, nobility, and the tsar. Peasant truth-seekers have a sense of self-esteem. They are deeply convinced that the working people are better, taller, and smarter than the landowner. The author shows the hatred of the peasants for those who live at their expense. Nekrasov also emphasizes the people’s love for work and their desire to help other people. Having learned that Matryona Timofeevna’s crop is dying, the men without hesitation offer her help; they also help the peasants of the Illiterate province with mowing.
Traveling around Russia, men meet various people. Revealing the images of the heroes encountered by the truth-seekers allows the author to characterize not only the situation of the peasantry, but also the life of the merchants, clergy, and nobility... But the author still pays the main attention to the peasants.
The images of Yakim Nagogo, Ermila Girin, Savely, Matryona Timofeevna combine both general, typical features the peasantry, such as, for example, hatred of all “shareholders” who drain their vitality from them, as well as individual traits.
Yakim Nagoy, personifying the mass of the poor peasantry, “works himself to death,” but lives as a poor man, like the majority of the peasants of the village of Bosovo. His portrait shows constant hard work:
And to Mother Earth myself
He looks like: brown neck,
Like a layer cut off by a plow,
Brick face...
Yakim understands that the peasantry is great power; he is proud to belong to it. He knows what the strength and weakness of the “peasant soul” is:
Soul, like a black cloud -
Angry, menacing - and it should be
Thunder will roar from there...
And it all ends with wine...
Yakim refutes the opinion that the peasant is poor because he drinks. He reveals the real reason This situation means the need to work for the “interest holders”. The fate of Yakima is typical for peasants post-reform Rus': he “once lived in St. Petersburg,” but, having lost a lawsuit with a merchant, he went to prison, from where he returned, “torn like a sticker” and “took up his plow.”
Another image of the Russian peasant is Ermila Girin. The author endows him with incorruptible honesty and natural intelligence. The peasants respect him because he
In seven years the world's penny
I didn’t squeeze it under my nail,
At the age of seven I didn’t touch the right one,
Didn't let the culprit go
I didn’t bend my heart...
Having gone against the “peace”, sacrificing public interests for the sake of personal ones - having given up a neighbor’s guy as a soldier instead of her brother - Yermila is tormented by remorse and comes to the point of thinking about suicide. However, he does not hang himself, but goes to the people to repent.
The episode with the purchase of the mill is important. Nekrasov shows the solidarity of the peasantry. They trust Ermila, and he takes the side of the peasants during the riot.
The author’s idea that Russian peasants are heroes is also important. For this purpose, the image of Savely, the Holy Russian hero, is introduced. Despite the unbearable hard life, the hero has not lost his best qualities. He's with sincere love relates to Matryona Timofeevna, deeply worries about the death of Demushka. About himself he says: “Branded, but not a slave!” Savely acts as a folk philosopher. He ponders whether the people should continue to endure their lack of rights and oppressed state. Savely comes to the conclusion: it is better to “understand” than to “endure,” and he calls for protest.
Savelia's combination of sincerity, kindness, simplicity, sympathy for the oppressed and hatred of the oppressors makes this image vital and typical.
A special place in the poem, as in all of Nekrasov’s work, is occupied by the display of the “female share”. In the poem, the author reveals it using the example of the image of Matryona Timofeevna. This is a strong and persistent woman, fighting for her freedom and her feminine happiness. But, despite all her efforts, the heroine says: “It’s not a matter of looking for a happy woman among women.”
The fate of Matryona Timofeevna is typical for a Russian woman: after marriage she went to hell from a “maiden holiday”; Misfortunes fell upon her one after another... Finally, Matryona Timofeevna, just like the men, is forced to work hard at work in order to feed her family.
The image of Matryona Timofeevna also contains features heroic character Russian peasantry.
In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” the author showed how serfdom cripples people morally. He leads us through a procession of courtyard people, servants, serfs, who, over many years of groveling before the master, have completely lost their own “I” and human dignity. This is the faithful Yakov, who takes revenge on the master by killing himself in front of his eyes, and Ipat, the slave of the Utyatin princes, and Klim. Some peasants even become oppressors, receiving insignificant power from the landowner. The peasants hate these slave slaves even more than the landowners, they despise them.
Thus, Nekrasov showed the stratification among the peasantry associated with the reform of 1861.
The poem also notes such a feature of the Russian peasantry as religiosity. It's a way to escape reality. God is the supreme judge from whom the peasants seek protection and justice. Faith in God is hope for a better life.
So, N.A. Nekrasov, in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” recreated the life of the peasantry in post-reform Russia, revealed the typical character traits of Russian peasants, showing that this is a force to be reckoned with, which is gradually beginning to realize its rights.
Definitely negative heroes. Nekrasov describes various perverted relationships between landowners and serfs. The young lady who whipped men for swear words seems kind and affectionate in comparison with the landowner Polivanov. He bought a village with bribes, in it he “played freely, indulged in drinking, drank bitterly,” was greedy and stingy. The faithful servant Yakov took care of the master, even when his legs were paralyzed. But the master chose Yakov’s only nephew to become a soldier, flattered by his bride.
Separate chapters are devoted to two landowners.
Gavrila Afanasyevich Obolt-Obolduev.
Portrait
To describe the landowner, Nekrasov uses diminutive suffixes and speaks of him with disdain: a round gentleman, mustachioed and pot-bellied, ruddy. He has a cigar in his mouth, and he’s carrying a C grade. In general, the image of the landowner is sweet and not at all menacing. He is not young (sixty years old), “portanous, stocky,” with a long gray mustache and dashing manners. The contrast between the tall men and the squat gentleman should make the reader smile.
Character
The landowner was frightened by the seven peasants and pulled out a pistol, as plump as himself. The fact that the landowner is afraid of the peasants is typical for the time this chapter of the poem was written (1865), because the liberated peasants gladly took revenge on the landowners whenever possible.
The landowner boasts of his “noble” origins, described with sarcasm. He says that Obolt Obolduev is a Tatar who entertained the queen with a bear two and a half centuries ago. Another of his maternal ancestors, about three hundred years ago, tried to set fire to Moscow and rob the treasury, for which he was executed.
Lifestyle
Obolt-Obolduev cannot imagine his life without comfort. Even while talking with the men, he asks the servant for a glass of sherry, a pillow and a carpet.
The landowner remembers with nostalgia old times(before the abolition of serfdom), when all nature, peasants, fields and forests worshiped the master and belonged to him. Noble houses competed with churches in beauty. The life of a landowner was a continuous holiday. The landowner kept many servants. In the fall he was engaged in hound hunting - a traditional Russian pastime. During the hunt, the landowner’s chest breathed freely and easily, “the spirit was transferred to the ancient Russian customs.”
Obolt-Obolduev describes the order of landowner life as the absolute power of the landowner over the serfs: “There is no contradiction in anyone, I will have mercy on whomever I want, and I will execute whomever I want.” A landowner can beat serfs indiscriminately (word hit repeated three times, there are three metaphorical epithets for it: spark-sprinkling, tooth-breaking, zygomatic-rot). At the same time, the landowner claims that he punished lovingly, that he took care of the peasants, and set tables for them in the landowner’s house on holidays.
The landowner considers the abolition of serfdom to be similar to breaking the great chain connecting masters and peasants: “Now we don’t beat the peasant, but at the same time we don’t have mercy on him like a father.” The landowners' estates were dismantled brick by brick, the forests were cut down, the men were committing robbery. The economy also fell into disrepair: “The fields are unfinished, the crops are unsown, there is no trace of order!” The landowner does not want to work on the land, and what his purpose is, he no longer understands: “I smoked God’s heaven, wore the royal livery, littered the people’s treasury and thought of living like this forever...”
Last One
This is what the peasants called their last landowner, Prince Utyatin, under whom serfdom was abolished. This landowner did not believe in the abolition of serfdom and became so angry that he had a stroke.
Fearing that the old man would be deprived of his inheritance, his relatives told him that they had ordered the peasants to turn back to the landowners, and they themselves asked the peasants to play this role.
Portrait
The last one is an old man, thin as hares in winter, white, a beaked nose like a hawk, long gray mustache. He, seriously ill, combines the helplessness of a weak hare and the ambition of a hawk.
Character Traits
The last tyrant, “fools in the old way”, because of his whims, both his family and the peasants suffer. For example, I had to sweep away a ready-made stack of dry hay just because the old man thought it was wet.
The landowner Prince Utyatin is arrogant and believes that the nobles have betrayed their age-old rights. His white cap is a sign of landowner power.
Utyatin never valued the lives of his serfs: he bathed them in an ice hole and forced them to play the violin on horseback.
In old age, the landowner began to demand even greater nonsense: he ordered a six-year-old to be married to a seventy-year-old, to quiet the cows so that they would not moo, to appoint a deaf-mute fool as a watchman instead of a dog.
Unlike Obolduev, Utyatin does not learn about his changed status and dies “as he lived, as a landowner.”
- The image of Savely in Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”
- The image of Grisha Dobrosklonov in Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”
Important historical period found its reflection in the work of N.A. Nekrasov. The peasants in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” are typical and very real. Their images help to understand what happened in the country after the abolition of serfdom, and what the reforms led to.
Wanderers of the People
Seven men - all of peasant origin. How are they different from other characters? Why doesn’t the author choose representatives of different classes as walkers? Nekrasov is a genius. The author suggests that a movement begins among the peasants. Russia has “awakened from its sleep.” But the movement is slow; not everyone has realized that they have gained freedom and can live in a new way. Nekrasov makes heroes of ordinary men. Previously, only beggars, pilgrims and buffoons roamed the country. Now men from different provinces and volosts have gone looking for answers to their questions. The poet does not idealize literary characters, does not try to separate them from the people. He understands that all peasants are different. Centuries-old oppression has become a habit for the majority; men do not know what to do with the rights they received, or how to continue to live.
Yakim Nagoy
A peasant lives in a village with a telling name - Bosovo. A poor man from the same village. The peasant went to work, but fell into litigation with the merchant. Yakim ended up in prison. Realizing that nothing good awaits him in the city, Nagoy returns to his homeland. He works on the earth without complaint, merging with it in his image and likeness. Like a lump, a layer cut out by a plow, Yakim“He works himself to death and drinks until he is half to death.”
A man does not get joy from hard work. Most goes to the landowner, but he himself is poor and hungry. Yakim is sure that no amount of drunkenness can overcome a Russian peasant, so there is no point in blaming the peasants for drunkenness. The versatility of the soul is revealed during a fire. Yakim and his wife save paintings, icons, not money. The spirituality of the people is higher than material wealth.
Serf Yakov
From a cruel landowner for many years lives in the service of Yakov. He is exemplary, diligent, faithful. The slave serves his master until old age and takes care of him during illness. The author shows how a man can show disobedience. He condemns such decisions, but also understands them. It is difficult for Yakov to stand up against the landowner. Throughout his life he proved his devotion to him, but did not deserve even a little attention. The slave takes the debilitated landowner into the forest and commits suicide in front of his eyes. A sad picture, but it is precisely this that helps to understand how deeply servility has taken root in the hearts of the peasants.Favorite Slave
The yard man tries to appear the happiest before the wanderers. What is his happiness? Serf was the favorite slave of the first noble prince Peremetevo. The wife of a slave is a beloved slave. The owner allowed the serf's daughter to study languages and sciences together with the young lady. The little girl sat in the presence of the gentlemen. The peasant slave looks stupid. He prays, asking God to save him from a noble disease - gout. Slavish obedience led the slave to absurd thoughts. He is proud of the noble disease. He boasts to the walkers about the wines he drank: champagne, Burgon, Tokay. The men refuse him vodka. They send us off to lick the plates after the lordly meal. A Russian drink is not on the lips of a peasant slave; let him finish off the glasses of foreign wines. The image of a sick serf is ridiculous.Headman Gleb
There is no usual intonation in the description of the peasant. The author is indignant. He doesn’t want to write about types like Gleb, but they exist among the peasants, so the truth of life requires the appearance of the image of an elder from the people in the poem. There were few of these among the peasants, but they brought enough grief. Gleb destroyed the freedom that the master gave. He allowed his fellow countrymen to be deceived. A slave at heart, the headman betrayed the men. He hoped for special benefits, for the opportunity to rise above his equals in social status.Man's happiness
At the fair, many peasants approach the wanderers. They are all trying to prove their happiness, but it is so miserable that it is hard to talk about it.Which peasants approached the walkers:
- The peasant is Belarusian. His happiness is in bread. Previously, it was barley, it hurt my stomach so much that it can only be compared with contractions during childbirth. Now they give rye bread, you can eat it without fear of consequences.
- A man with a curled cheekbone. The peasant went after the bear. His three friends were broken by forest owners. The man remained alive. The happy hunter cannot look to the left: his cheekbone is curled up like a bear's paw. The walkers laughed and offered to go see the bear again and turn the other cheek to equalize the cheekbones, but they gave me vodka.
- Stonemason. The young Olonchan man enjoys life because he is strong. He has a job, if you get up early, you can earn 5 silver.
- Tryphon. Possessing enormous strength, the guy succumbed to the contractor’s ridicule. I tried to pick up as much as they put in. I brought in a load of 14 poods. He didn’t allow himself to be laughed at, but he tore his heart and got sick. The man’s happiness is that he reached his homeland to die on his own land.
The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is based on N.A. Nekrasov is an image of the Russian peasantry after the abolition of serfdom. Throughout the entire work, the characters are looking for the answer to the question: “Who lives happily and freely in Rus'?”, who is considered happy, who is unhappy.
Truth-seekers
At the forefront of the research is the journey of seven men through Russian villages in search of an answer to the question posed. In the appearance of the seven “freemen” we see only the common features of the peasants, namely: poverty, inquisitiveness, unpretentiousness.
The men ask about the happiness of the peasants and soldiers they meet. They consider the priest, the landowner, the merchant, the nobleman and the tsar to be lucky. But the main place in the poem is given to the peasantry.
Yakim Nagoy
Yakim Nagoy works “to death”, but lives from hand to mouth, like most residents of Bosovo. In the description of the hero, we see how difficult Yakim’s life is: “...He himself looks like Mother Earth.” Yakim realizes that the peasants are the greatest power, he is proud that he belongs to this group of people. he is familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the peasant character. The main disadvantage is alcohol, which has a detrimental effect on men.
For Yakima, the idea that the poverty of the peasantry is caused by drinking wine is unacceptable. In his opinion, this is due to the obligation to work for “shareholders.” The fate of the hero is typical for the Russian people after the abolition of serfdom: while living in the capital, he enters into an argument with a merchant, ends up in prison, from where he returns to the village and begins to plow the land.
Ermila Girin
Ermila Girina N.A. Nekrasov endowed him with honesty and great intelligence. He lived for the sake of the people, was honest, fair, and did not leave anyone in trouble. The only dishonest act he committed was for the sake of his family - saving his nephew from being recruited. He sent the widow's son instead. From his own deceit and torment of conscience, Girin almost hanged himself. He corrected his mistake and subsequently took the side of the rebellious peasants, for which he was imprisoned.
The episode with the purchase of Ermil's mill is remarkable, when the peasants express absolute trust in Ermil Girin, and he, in return, is completely honest with them.
Savely - hero
Nekrasov expresses the idea that peasants for him are akin to heroes. Here comes the image of Savely, the Holy Russian hero. He sincerely sympathizes with Matryona and has a hard time rethinking the death of Demushka. This hero combines goodness, simplicity, sincerity, help to the oppressed and anger towards the oppressors.
Matrena Timofeevna
Peasant women are represented in the image of Matryona Timofeevna. This strong-hearted woman fights all her life for freedom and female happiness. Her life resembles the life of many peasant women of that time, although she is even happier than many. This is taking into account the fact that after marriage she ended up in a family that hated her, she was married only once, her first-born was eaten by pigs, and her whole life is based on hard work in the fields.
Peasant oppressors
The author shows how hard serfdom affects people’s lives, how it cripples them, destroying them morally. There are also peasants who chose the side of their masters - Ipat, Klim, Yakov the Faithful, who oppress the common people along with the landowners.
In his poem, Nekrasov showed the life of the peasantry after the reform of 1861, depicted images of Russian peasants, saying that the people have untold power and will soon begin to realize their rights.
